Improvement in automatic railway-brakes



2 SheetsSheet 1,

W. L. CARD. Automatic Railway Brake. No. 201,594. Patented March26,1878.

a INVENTUH;

N. PETERS, PHDTO-LITMQGRAPHER. WAsHmbTON. p, 64

2 Sheets-Sheet 2;

W. L. CARD. AutomaticRailway Brake. No. 201,594. Paten ted' March26,1878.

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NPEFERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHEH. WASHINGTON, D. c.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. CARD, OF MOBERLY, MISSOURI.

I. IMPROVEMENT IN AUTOMATIC RAILWAY-BRAKES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 201,594, dated March26, 1878; application filed October 15, 1877. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. CARD, of Moberly, in the county ofRandolph and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Railway- Brakes; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full, clear, and exact description of my invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of refer ence marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification. V V

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the under sideof a car with my improved brake mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2represents an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 shows the draw-bar witha portion of my improvement connected therewith. Fig. 4 represents, inperspective, the fulcrum-plate, with its operating-cam; and Fig. 5 showsa device for locking the said cam and fulcrumplate in position.

Referring by letters to the several figures, H H represent thecar-sills, and D E the truckframe, upon which the car-platform ismounted in the usual way. 0 0 represent the wheels; J, the axlesthereof, and e the ordinary oilboxes. The brake-beams a are furnishedwith shoes'b, and are suspended by the hangers k, which are connectedwith the platform through the medium of bolts K, or in any othersuitable manner.

M N represent the brake-rods, both of which are connected with the rear'brakebeam by means of a pivoted lever-bar, L, and a suitableconnection, 1 The rod Malso connects with the forward. brake-beam,through an ordinary eyebolt, which passes through the beam andthroughvanelastic cushion or spring, a a tension-nut, a being fitted upon theprojecting end of the bolt, so as to take up the slack of the brake rodsand links; otherwise, the mechanism hereinafter described for settingthe brakes would be ineffective. i

It may also be here observed that these nuts should be set so as toallow the wheels, under set brakes, to revolve sufficiently topreventany local flattening.

The other brake-rod, N, connects at its forward end with the verticalrod of an ordinary brake-wheel, d, through the. medium of the chain-linkg; and it also connects with a leverbar, F, the functions of which willbe presently described, by means of a chain, n linked at one of its endsinto an eye, a on the rod.

As thus far described, the brakes are adapted to be set by turning thewheel 01, which is provided with the usual vertical rod, and with theratchet-wheel 1, in connection with an ordinary engaging pawl or stop..

My improved mechanism for operating lever F so as to automatically setthe brakes when the speed of the engine of a train is slacked from anycause whatever, and the opposed resistance to the train consequentlytransmitted to the sliding spring draw-bars, is

substantially as follows: The draw-bar A slides between the straps yy,which are bolted at their ends upon stops g and g The follower-plates gg project beyond the sides of the draw-bar, so as to work in suitableways or guides under the straps, the movements of the saidfollowerplates being limited by the stops g g.

0 represents the draw-spring between the two follower-plates g5 g and 0'0 represent shoulders, against which the plate g abuts by reason of thepressure of the spring.

Upon the rearend of the draw-bar I secure an angle-plate, O, by means ofbolts and nuts 0 O. This angle-plate has-an upwardly-projecting flange,f, as shown in Fig. 3, and which I shall designate as the stop-plate.

' F represents a bar, which has one of its ends slotted and pivoted tothe lever-bar F A portion of the other end of bar F is somewhat reducedin size, from a stop-shoulder, s, to its end 2, and said smaller portionpasses through an opening inthe stop-plate f and also through thetake-up spring 0 which is secured therein between the stopplate and itsend 2 by a nut, t, which may be adjusted upon a screw-threaded portionof the bar, as oocasion demands.

' From this construction and arrangement it will be seen that when thedraw-bar A is forced back the pressure of the stop-plate f against theelastic cushion or take-up spring-G will also throw back the bar Fsufficiently to operate lever F and thereby set the brakes,

whenthe fulcrum of the lever-bar is in proper position for automaticbraking, as presently described.

The compression of the spring 0 will be proportionate to the extent towhich the drawbar is driven back. Incase" of severe concussion, it isevident that the interposition of this take-up spring between theabove-described operative parts will prevent the same from beinginjured; also, when the pressure upon the draw-bar is removed, the saidspring, if

- considerably compressed, will necessarily 0pcures the plate upon oneof the draft-timbers B. This admits of the forward or backward movementof the fulcrum-plate upon the drafttimber, and hence the consequentchange of the fulcral point of the lever F. To effect this movement, Iform the plate F with ribs or abutments n it, between which I locate acameccentric, h, adapted to operate in its rotation against eitherabutment, thereby throwing the fulcrum-plate forward or backward.

The cam-eccentric h is secured upon a rod, g which passes through bar Ftimber B, and also the car-platform, above which it has anoperating-wheel, I.

In order to maintain the plate F in position after it has been forcedbackward by the cam so as to slack up chain 01, and thereby put thebrakes under control of the ordinary brakewheel alone, or forced forwardso as to take up the slack and place the fulcrum of the leverbar in suchposition that the brakes will be automatically set by the movement ofthe drawbar, I secure upon rod g a disk, K, with notches l ltherein, andarrange a sprin g-catch, i so as to en gage with the same, and therebylock the cam-eccentric in position.

For yard-work or switching (the tension-nuts having been properlyadjusted) the fulcrumplate with its lever is thrown back by the cam andlocked, as above described.

For automatic braking upon the road, the spring-catch is released fromdisk K, the fulcrum-plate and lever thrown forward, and again locked bythe spring-catch 11 If, for any reason, the speed of the engine isslacked, the opposed resistance will force in the draw-bars, andconsequently automatically set the brakes. In proceeding on adown-grade, if the engineer shuts off steam and the draw-bars arethereby released from strain, the draw-sprin gs, which have heretoforebeen somewhat contracted, will expand sufficiently to admit of a lightsetting of the brakes.

I do not wish to be understood as claiming, broadly, the principle ofautomatic self-braking in railroad-trains; but

I do claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In an automaticcar-brake, the combination, with the draw-bar A, of the connectingbar Fprovided with a shoulder, s, and the take-up spring 0 with tension-nutt, said devices being connected with the draw bar through the medium ofan angle-plate, 0 substantially as shown, and for the purposesdescribed.

2. In combination with the connecting-bar F, the brake-lever F, pivotedthereto, and the fulcrum-plate F, attached to lever F by the strap f andcenter-pin F substantially as shown and described.

3. In combination with the brake-lever F and a mechanism forautomatically operating the same when the draw-bar is forced back- Ward,the connecting-links 'n, and loop or eye n upon the said rod, which alsoconnects with the rod of an ordinary handbrake wheel, substantially asshown and described.

4. The movable fulcrumplate F, secured upon one of the draft-timbers Bby the guide pin or bolt f through slot i, and carrying the brake-leverF in combination with the cameccentric h between abutments 12 n adaptedto be operated by the rotation of its rod or spindle r, substantially asshown and set forth.

5. The rods M and N, connected with the brake-lever, in combination withan elastic cushion, a, and tension'nut uponthe forward end of rod M, andwith an ordinary handbraking mechanism and an automatic brakingapparatus, composed essentially of bar F connected with the draw-barthrough'the'medium of an angleplate and spring, and a lever-bar, Fconnected with rod N, all constructed and adapted for adjustmentsubstantially in the manner as herein shown and described, and for thepurposes set forth.

6. The connecting-bar F provided with check-shoulder s, in combinationwith the angle-plate G with its stop-plate f substantially as shown andspecified.

7. The take-up spring 0 and connectingbar F in combination with the barF, with a joint at the slotted portion of bar F through which the bolt fis passed and adapted to have a limited movement, substantially asherein shown and specified.

8. The locking-disk K, with spring-catch, in combination with cam h andfulcrum-plate F, substantially as shown and set forth.-

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own invention I affix mysignature in pres ence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. CARD. Witnesses:

S. S. BIssELL, J 0s. E. WARE.

